Netflix has agreed to stream WWE’s Raw for ten years in a $5 billion deal. From January 2025, Netflix will be the only place to watch Raw in the US, Canada, the UK, and Latin America. You can also watch PLEs like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble if you have a Netflix account. In an interview, Tony Khan recently discussed WWE’s deal with Netflix, where he offered his views on the contract and its implications for AEW.

WWE exclusively moves to Netflix: What’s the deal? 

WWE and Netflix have agreed to a $5 billion deal. This is a significant change in the sports entertainment industry. Starting in January 2025, one of WWE’s two main weekly shows, Monday Night Raw, will only be available on Netflix. 

This will end the company’s 31-year history of broadcasting TV shows worldwide. Tony Khan talked to Denise Salcedo about what he thinks about the new deal between WBD, Fox, and ESPN and what it means for AEW.  “We’re excited to get big media rights renewals in the wrestling business. That’s great to see for everybody. We’re in a big contract year, too, and I think AEW is going to get big media rights. Right now, we have a great partnership on TBS and TNT that I want to continue for a long time. We’ve been on since 2019, it’s five years now we’re going on TBS and TNT, and it’s been great and I want to keep it going because there is a great tradition of wrestling on those channels,” Khan said.

WWE and UFC merged to form TKO. They led the historic move and stressed that Raw’s exclusive viewing on Netflix will alter how fans watch pro wrestling. 

Essential Information of the Deal

Netflix will also show all WWE shows and features outside of the US. This includes SmackDown and pay-per-view live events like WrestleMania and Royal Rumble. When word of the deal came out, shares of TKO Group Holdings, which owns WWE, rose 21% in early trading. On the other hand, Netflix shares stayed the same.

Read More: “Clearly Demand for It”: Tony Khan Refers to $5B Raw & Netflix Deal While Revealing AEW’s Streaming Platform Plans

After the first five years, Netflix can end the WWE’s Raw exclusive streaming rights deal or extend the agreement for another ten years. With players from “Full Swing” and “Drive to Survive,” Netflix held its first live sports event, “The Netflix Cup,” in October. In its letter to investors for the third quarter, the company hinted that more might come. This was a change from CEO Ted Sarandos’s long-held view that Netflix was ‘in the sports business’’ and focused on the excitement of sports but not live games.

Many fans of all ages watch WWE every week to see fights between stars like CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. The Raw deal is Netflix’s first long-term bet on live events that appeal to these fans. The battle is year-round, not just during certain times of the year, like in some major sports. 

What do you think about WWE’s Netflix deal?

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